Means for regulating the power of automobiles.



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PATBNTBD JULY 7, 1903 B. THOMSON. MEANS FOR REGULATING THE POWER OF AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 21, 1900.

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E. THOMSON. MEANS FOR REGULATING THE POWER OF AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 21, 1900.

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' UNlTElf) STATES Patented July 7, 1903.

"FFICE.

MEANS FOR REGULATING THE POWER OF AUTOMOBIL ES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 733,093, dated July 7, 1903.

Applicatipn filed July 21,1900. Serial No. 24,383. (Home To all whom/zit may concern:

Be it known that LELIHII THOMSON, a citi Zen of the United States, residing at Swampscott, in the countyof Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Regulating the Power of Automobiles, of which the following is a specification. i i

In the operation of automobilesit some times happens that a greater or a less amount.

of. power is required at one time than another to maintain a given speed. This may be due to the fact that the vehicleis traveling up or down a grade or to the condition of the road.

My invention has for its object to provide a regulating means independent of the speedcontrolling device which will automatically increase or decrease the power of the motive device as the vehicle; ascends or descends a grade.

My invention also contemplates a means for rendering in a measure this auxiliary controller or regulator manually adjustable,

so that when-for any reason it is desired to.

have more or less power the auxiliary controller can be adjusted to meet the new condition without, however, entirely destroying the automatic feature of regulation.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one form of my invention, Figure 1 is a sectional view of a steam-operated vehicle. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view, partially in section, of the air, fuel, and water pumps. Fig. 3 is a partial end view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2: a is a side elevation of a modified form of the pump regulating means. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the fuel-.

pump. Fig. 5" is a sectional view .of the fuel-pump shown in the position of maximum effective stroke. Fig. 6 is a diagram representing the parts set to operate under maximum conditions and on a level road. Fig. 7

is a diagram representing the parts working under maximum conditions as the vehicle moves up a grade. Fig. 8 is diagram representing the parts working under minimum conditions as the vehicle moves down a grade. Figs. 9 and lO are sectional views of a pump, thelatter figure being a section taken 011 line 10 10 of Fig. 9. Figs. 11 and 12 are detail views of the pistons. Figs. 13 and 14 are de- Figs. 15 and tail views of the pump-piston.

16 are furtheindetail views of the pistons. Figs. 17 andlS are details of the piston-guides and supports, and Fig. 19 is a detail View of the eccentric for driving the water-pump.

Referring to Fig. 1, A represents the body of a vehicle, which is mounted in any desired manner on the wheels, the latter being shown in dotted lines. Under the vehicle-seat are located the engine B, (which is belted or geared to the wheels,) the air-pump C, the fuel-pump D, and the water-pump E. Back of the seat are the water and fuel tanks F and G, and below these tanks are the boiler H and its usual burner. The pumps are all driven direct from the propelling-engine, although separate means may be provided,if desired. In order to vary the power and speed of vehicles of this class, it is customary to regulate the amount of water supplied to the boiler, the amount of fuel supplied to the bl11IlG1',Lll(l in some instances the amount of air which is mixed with the fuel. 1 This control has been accomplished in various ways-as, for example, by regulators acted upon by the steam or water pressure.

My invention contemplates automatically regulating the supply of water and fuel in accordance with the profile of the route traveled over-that is to say, when the vehicle is ascending a grade the amount of fuel and water, and in some instances the air for the fuel mixture, is proportionately increased,

and when the vehicle is descending a grade the amount is correspondingly decreased. It also contemplates the manual adjustment of the proportions of fuel, water, and-aineither with or without the automatic feature, when for any reason it is considered desirable, and this irrespective of the profile of the route traveled over.

In all the above instances it is to be understood that the usual starting, stopping, and reversing means are provided.

In carrying out my invention a pendulumweight is employed which by its changes in position due to variations in the grade of the road changes the effective stroke of the several pumps.

Referring particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, I represents the pendulum-weight, which is 011 the lower end of the arm 1, the latter being pivotally secured to a lever J; The pendulum is suspended from pivot l in such manner that it is free to move as the vehicle follows the profile of the path traveled over. In other words, as the vehicle ascends a grade it will move backward an amount proportional to the grade and when the vehicle descends a grade it will move forward from a central position an amount depending upon said grade.

The water-pump E is of the ordinary displacement'variety, the outer cylinder or casing being rigidly secured to the engine-frame, while the inner cylinder E, which also forms the valve, is connected to the pendulum-arm by a rod E, the latter passing through a suitable stuffing-box. The inner cylinder is provided with a'valve-opening E, through which water enters from the tank by the pipe F". In the right-hand end of the cylinder is a spring-pressed puppet-valve E which when the pressure rises to a predetermined amount opens and the water is forced into the boiler through the pipe E Working within the cylinder is a piston K, and by changing the relative positions of the valve-opening E and the piston more or less water will be forced into the boiler. The outer end of the piston is pivotally secured to a lever K, the latter being pivotally secured at its upper end to a support K and at its lower end pivotally secured to an arm K the plate K acting as a guide therefor. Motion is imparted to the piston by the arm K and the eccentric K secured to an engine-shaft B, Fig. 19. The

' pin for supporting the upper end of the arm K is carried bya latch K which is pivoted to the arm in such manner that the pin can be withdrawn from one hole and inserted in a11- other. This adjustment is in the nature of a permanent one; but of course it may be changed to suit the road conditions. If for any reason it is desired to force water into the boiler manually, the pin on the latch may be withdrawn and the arm K worked to and fro by hand, the eccentric driven arm acting as a support.

The fuel-pump (best illustrated in section in Figs. 5 and 5) consists of an outer stationary cylindrical casing D, that is secured to the engine-frame, and communicating with this casing are two ports D and D the former being the inlet and the latter the outlet. Located within the casing is a movable ring D, which is supported by two outwardly-extending rods D that are provided with bearings in the casing D. The right-hand rod is extended somewhat to form a connection with the pendulum-arm I, so that as the pendulum swings the ring will occupy a more or less eccentric position with respect to the casing D, as indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 5, and in full lines, Fig. 5. Located within the ring and maintained at all times concentric with the casing is a rotary member M, which is driven by the shaft B of the engine. The

rotary member is slotted through its central portion, and mounted therein are two vanes These vanes are always pressed outwardly by the compression-spring located be:

move in and out. VtTith the parts arranged concentrically, as shown in Fig. 5, no pumping action takes place, for the two chambers N and N, formed by the vanes and rings, are the same size at all times irrespective of the angular position of the vanes;. but as soon as the ring is moved to a non-concentric position the pumping action begins. Assuming, as an example, the dotted-line position of the ring Fig. 5 and the fullline position Fig. 5, which is the maximum pumping position, as the vanes are rotated in a clockwise direction the chamber N gradually i11- creases in size owing to the eccentric relation of the parts, and the result is a sucking action, which draws fuel from the tank through the port D In the chamber N, which, it is assumed, has been previously filled in the manner described, the opposite action is taking placethat is to say, the chamber N is continually growing smaller, due to the eccentric relation of the ring, and as it grows smaller the advancing vane, acting as a piston, forces the fuel to the burner through the port D Of course intermediate positions of the ring will give pumping effects between zero and maximum.

The internal construction of the air-pump differs slightly from that of the fuel-pump, although the feature of a ring movable from a concentric to a non-concentric position is preserved. I

Referring more particularly to Figs. 9 to 18, inclusive, 0 represents a casing which is closed at the front end by a plate, while the back end is partially closed by a flange on the casing and partially by the head 0, the latter forming an enlargement on the drivingshaft 0. The shaft 0 is driven by the e11- gine and may be directly connected or driven through a speed changing device. Formed integral with the head or otherwise secured thereto is a cylindrical portion 0 which is slotted to receive the vanes 0 These vanes are four in number and divide the space with in the ring into chambers S,two of the vanes being of the form shown in Figs. 11 and 12, the

other two being of the form shown in Figs. 15

and 16. studs P is a ring P.

prolonged and is connected to the pendulum-' arm I by a pin-and-slot connection which permits the arm to move in the arc of a circle without causing the studs to bind. As this ring changes its position it moves from a concentric to a non-concentric position,or vice versa, with respect to the center of motion of the driving-shaft. This ring is closed at one end by a plate P and secured thereto is a stud P, upon which are sleeved the movable vanes 0 the extension 0 on one set of vanes be ing interspaced with those of the other set. As the shaft 0 revolves the vanes rotate and also move slightly with respect to each other to compensate for changes in position of the and outlet ports Q andQ, the former receivable construction. of a dash-pot comprising a cylinder T and a piston T, the latter being connected in any.

'l ,wl1iel1 permits the piston to move backing air directly or through a screen to prevent entrance of foreign substances, while the latter is connected by a pipe Q with the burner, Fig. 1. In order to furnish a bearing and a guide for each vane, the slots in the tubular portion of the head 0 are bored out to receive the cylindrical slotted pins B. These pins are provided with a cylindrical end B for supporting them, which fit into holes in the head 0. As the vanes move in and out and around the central stud P due .to the shifting of the ring P, they assume positions such as those shown in Figs. 2, U, 7, and 8, the pins R acting as guides and bearings. The action of this pump is similar to that of the fuel-pump described above-that is to say, when the center of the stud carrying the vanes is concentric with respect to that of the ring the chambers S remain of a constant size, and no pumping action takes place; but as soon as an eccentric relation of the parts is assumed the size of the chambers gradually increases from minimum to maximum for a given position of parts as the shaft 0' revolves, and the pumping action begins.

In order to check the too-violent movements of the pendulum I, a retarding device is preferably employed, which may be of any suit- The one shown consists desirable manner to the arm I. The cylinder isprovided with a spring-pressed valve ward or to the left with considerable freedom, but retards its forward movement. The cylinder maybe filled with glycerin orsome similar material,if desired, in which case the valve arrangement would be slightly altered, so as to prevent the escape of the liquid. In addition to checking sudden movementsof the pendulum the dash-pot performs another useful function-that is to say, as the vehicle travels over a rough road or is subjected to a great deal of heavy vibration the pendulum, owing to its vibrations, gradually pumps itself to a position where it increases the effective stroke of the several pumps, thereby increasing the driving power of the vehicle. This feature of operation will be apparent when it is considered that the pendulum is comparatively free to move backward owing to the opening of the valve, but is prevented from sudden movements forward owing to the closing of the valve.

The several pumps are first adjusted so that they will supply the proper amount of water, fuel, and air for ordinary work, either by individual adjustment or by setting the arm J. This might be called a permanent adjustment. WVhen the road is particularly bad or when for any reason it is desired to obtain more power, it may be obtained by moving the lever J, which carries the pivot of When it is desired to obtain less power, the

lever J is moved forward, and the latch J, engaging with the rack J serves to hold it in any desired position.

In Fig. i a slightly-modified arrangement of the parts is shown. The lever J is pivoted at the lower end, as before, and is provided at its upper end with a latch J, which works in the rack J Instead of pivoting the pen dulum-lever I on the rod it is pivoted at I ona separate support, and a spring U is employed to connect the parts. This spring always has a certain tendency to increase the effective stroke of the pump, and by changing its tension this tendency can be increased or diminished at will. In this case, as before, the dash-pot will be adjusted to suit the conditions.

I have shown the pumps arranged to control the supply of water, fuel, and air; but

is to be understood that one, oreven two, of the said supplies may be entirely independent of this control. Referring to the diagrams, Fig. 6 represents the vehicle traveling along a lev-elroad under what I call manual control that is to say, the lever J has been moved backward to an extreme position, so that each of the pumps is supplying approximately its maximum amount of fluid. The leverK maybe set in any one of its several positions, de pending upon the amount of water desired. Then the parts are in this position, there is little chance shown for the pendulum to increase the effective strokes of the pumps when a hill' is reached; but it is as effective as ever on the downgrades. Of course if it is desired the maximum-power position of the lever J may be well within the limits of operation of the pendulum, in which case the automatic control would be preserved, as before.

In Fig. 7 the lever J is set in its middle po sition and the vehicle is under automatic control in so far as the adjustment of the pumps is concerned. In other words, the pendulum I has assumed a backward or lagging position, due to the profile of the path traveled over by the vehicle, and the same effect is obtained as in Fig. 6.

In Fig. 8 it is assumed thatthe vehicle is going downhill and the pendulum has moved forward, thus bringing the pumps into a position where they will pump little or no fluid,

depending upon their original adjustment or relation of parts.

The speed of the engine is controlled in the usual manner by the throttle V, and for the sake of simplicity the reversing mechanism has been omitted.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes I have described the principle of operation of my invention, together with Ioc the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof; but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative and that the inven- 'tion can be carried out by other means.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In an automobile, the combination of a motor, a boiler, a means governed by the changes in profile of the path traveled over, for varying the amount of water supplied to the boiler and a-manually-actuated device for modifying the action of said means.

In an automobile, the combination of a motor, a boiler, a pendulum capable of swingihg to and fro as the grade changes for autoh the pump, which is controlled automatically by changes in the grade of the route traveled over.

5. In an automobile, the combination of a motive device, a fuel-pump, means governed by the vehicle as it moves over its path of travel for varying the amount of fuel delivered by the pump, and a device for adjusting said means independent of changes due to vehicle movements.

6. In combination, a source of fuel-supply, a fuel-pump, a support for the parts which is capable of assuming various angular positions, and a means for varying the effective stroke of the pump which is controlled by the movements of the support.

7. In an automobile, the combination of sources of fuel and water supply, water and fuel. pumps, a support for the pumps which is capable of changing its angular position with respect to a normal plane, and a gravity device which changes the effective strokes of the pumps as the angular position of the support changes.

8. In an automobile, the combination of a propelling device, a f uel-pump, a water-pump, fuel and water tanks, a pendulum pivotally supported by the vehicle in such manner that it is capable of swinging, and means'acted upon by the pendulum for varying the amount of fuel and water delivered by the pumps.

9. In an automobile, the combination of a boiler, aburner, fuel and water tanks, a pump for supplying fuel to the burner, a pump for supplying water to the boiler, and a pendulum acted upon by changes in the angular position of the vehicle for varying the effective stroke of the pumps.

10. In combination, a support which is ca pable of assuming different angular positions, a pump supported thereby, apivoted regulator for the pump, and manual means for adj usting the position of the pivot.

11. In combination, a vehicle, a motive device, a source of supply, a pendulum-regulator for controlling the said source, and a manually-actuated device for moving the-pivot of the pendulum whereby the effectiveness of the regulator is changed. 7

12. In combination, a motive device, a source of power, a pendulum for controlling the said source and an adjustable lever on which the pendulum is pivotally secured, whereby the effectiveness of the pendulum may be varied.

13. In a vehicle, the combination of a motive device, a source of power therefor, a con trolling device for regulating the amount of' power supplied to the motive device, a gravity-actuated mechanism for actuating the controlling device, and a retarding means for checking violent movements of said gravity-actuated mechanism.

14. Ina vehicle, the combination of a motor, a source of power, a regulator therefor,

a pendulum acting by itsmovements to vary Witnesses:

DUGALD McKILLoP, HENRY O. WESTENDARP. 

